Mahfuj Alam says he won't contest upcoming polls
Someone had collected the nomination papers in the name of Mahfuj without his consent, says his brother
Former information and broadcasting adviser to the interim government Mahfuj Alam has said he will not contest the upcoming national election, despite nomination papers being collected in his name.
Confirming the decision to BBC Bangla today (29 December), Mahfuj said he had made up his mind not to contest long ago.
"I have been saying from the beginning that I will not run in the elections. That is why I did not want to step down from the government," he said.
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He explained that his resignation came at the government's insistence, amid concerns that the presence of student representatives could raise questions about neutrality during the election period.
"The government felt that issues of impartiality might arise, so I stepped down. But my decision not to contest was already final," he added.
Nomination papers were collected for Mahfuj Alam from the Lakshmipur-1 constituency yesterday. However, his brother NCP Joint Convener Mahbub Alam had also collected the nomination papers from this seat.
Mahbub Alam told The Business Standard that he submitted his nomination papers today.
Clarifying the issue surrounding the withdrawal of Mahfuj Alam's nomination, Mahbub Alam added, "Someone collected the nomination papers in the name of Mahfuj without his consent. He had no knowledge of or approval for this. The incident left both of us embarrassed."
He further said that his own political position was final, adding, "I will contest the election representing the NCP under the Islamic Samamona Jote."
Yesterday, Mahfuj Alam announced on Facebook that although he had been involved in the formation of the Citizens' Committee and the National Citizen Party (NCP) from the outset, he would not be part of the party.
